Renovating the Farmhouse Kitchen: After Pictures

As you saw in the Before Pictures, none of the kitchen was going to stay. It wasn’t original and even the floor has to be replaced. The kitchen is very small but the space was so misused previously we could easily see how we could change it up to make it amazing!

I very much need a kitchen that is as functional as possible. I also wanted to add in a little country element and a little eclectic element. Previously the kitchen was dark brown with dark red curtains and it looked like a little cave.

The view from the dining room. As I mentioned in the before pictures, we tore out the existing pantry which had an awkward door into the dining room and we completely redid the room, added wire shelving and moved the door onto the other wall to extend the kitchen. What we did was actually make the pantry about 2 feet longer than it was and make the opening to the kitchen smaller so we had another wall in order to add more cupboards and make the kitchen feel even larger.

Moving into the kitchen you can see the new wall, before there was nothing here at all, we decided to extend the pantry out 2 feet to be able to put cupboards along this wall.

And yes, my fridge is tiny! The fridge ended up being quite the dilemma. Most fridges stick out a good 30 inches or more from the wall. We just didn’t have that kind of space and needed a fridge that went out no more than 26 inches. Doesn’t sound like a big difference but when the cabinets only come out 24 inches, it is! So we found this small “apartment” fridge that would fit. It’s working for us for now and I was actually given a free fridge by a neighbor to keep in the garage so we will have more space for eggs and other overflow.

My hubby built the shelf on this wall and the enamel containers are from Ikea. I’m not sure what I’m going to use them for yet but I’m sure I’ll come up with something! (By the way, the paint color in here is Water Mark)

We couldn’t afford anything more than the cheapest cupboards so we bought them and custom stained them and added custom trim to make them look much better than they were. Now no one else has these cabinets, they are custom just for my little kitchen!

This is the west wall in the kitchen with the new cabinets and yes a farmhouse sink!!

I actually bought another sink and thought about it for a long time before we decided this kitchen had to have a farmhouse sink. I found this sink for a good price and the store we actually bought it from ended up messing up our order for the sink and the counter tops so we got an even better price. We had to wait a really long time for it all to come it but I appreciated saving the money! I’ll admit that I splurged a little on the faucet (not really I guess compared to the price of a decent faucet) but I love it because it looks great with the sink! For the window I’m going to make a little cafe curtain for the winter and a curtain with a little more coverage for the summer to keep the heat out.

Oh yes, these lights! I picked out some beautiful but boring pendant lights that would have looked great but then I found these Mason Jar Pendant lights and just could not hold myself back! The other lights went back to the store and these were installed. I just love them, they add such a personal touch and they are so me!

Here’s the half wall on the east side of the house. If you remember from before, this wall had the stove and a full size fridge on it and they stuck out into the walkway. Since we moved the fridge over we put a pantry like cupboard here and a new stove that was a floor model and we got a great bargain on. We had to install new gas lines in the entire house including the kitchen because they were crimped and bent and really quite scary and unsafe.

We love our new kitchen! It’s custom and different and perfect for us. I know you might think I’m crazy but I do not like anyone else in my kitchen so the size and the fact that it’s separate from the dining/living area is perfect for me. It’s bright and light and has so much space! Many of the cupboards and drawers are still empty because I just don’t have that much kitchen stuff. I’m going to fill them with other things though because if they don’t get filled with something constructive than they tend to fill up with a mess.

Before

After

Well believe it or not we only have 2 rooms left in our series, the master bedroom and the dining room/kitchen! There are 2 more rooms in our house (the 2nd bedroom and the mudroom) but they aren’t renovated yet and still need quite a bit of work but I’ll be posting about them too when they are finished.

Your house is beautiful! I so admire how you and your husband were able to take an old sad, neglected farmhouse and turn it into a happy, beautiful place that will be filled with love! You are doing a wonderful job!

I love the new look, especially the sink. Gorgeous! I have one question though. How do you manage to cook with no counter space next to your stove? That would be very difficult for me. I’m a messy cook and I have stuff strung out everywhere on both sides of my stove. I’ve always just wanted to live in an old farmhouse, but this late in life, I doubt it will happen, so I’m really enjoying your renovation pictures. Thanks for sharing with us.

I love it! I also really love your cupboards! It doesn’t matter how cheap they were because you made them into something so special. Any chance you can information about the type of stain that you used?

It turned out beautifully! I love all your choices, especially that SINK! I want one so bad. What is involved in modifying the cabinet to install one? The fridge. I learned awhile back after having a monster fridge take up floor space in a small kitchen that there is such a thing as a counter depth refrigerator! My past three fridge purchases (I know, right? We’ve moved three times in the past 4 years) I made sure I got counter depth. They usually cost a little more, but worth it imho. Your small fridge was also a good solution if you will also have an overflow fridge. Great job! I really enjoy your detailed before and afters.

For the installation of the sink we used a regular sink base and tore off the fake drawer covers in the front. This sink just sat right in (we had to cut the countertop around to fit of course) and then the sink just slide in the opening. There was a small gap in the front that we had to cover with some extra trim but that just made it look finished, it really wasn’t that hard!

amazing work! luv it all and the trim makes the difference. I have a question – on the ceiling how did y’all get it to stick? I’m wanting to do the same in my kitchen but we have no idea how to make it stick – nails or liquid glue?

Love your kitchen! We completely gutted and redid ours a few years ago. I wanted a farmhouse sink but my contractor talked me out of it 🙁
With all the reno we have done that’s one lesson I have learned – DO NOT let other people tell you what you want/ don’t want.

Yes, I totally learned that with the last house we had! I did everything for resale and not for me. 360 degree difference with this house though, I picked what I wanted (within budget and reason) and am so happy with the results! 🙂

I love the sink, the lights and basically the whole kitchen look. I am someone that likes to have space beside the stove for spices, spoons, cutting board etc. Is this something you don’t need, or how are you adjusting?

The other side of the kitchen (with all the counter space) is just a reach away (I don’t even have to move, because it’s so tiny in there, lol!) so it hasn’t been a problem yet. And I did have enough room on the stove to put a spoon rest so I do have that.

What a great renovation, and so totally personalized. I have a question about the shelf your husband built to the side of your fridge. I had just decided to put floating shelved in my father’s bathroom when I saw this. Is that a floating shelf, and if so, what method did he use to attach it to the wall?

Beautiful ! I love reading about your remodel,being an old farmhouse owner myself. FYI the reason old farmhouses have few if any closets is that they used to tax you on how many rooms your house had, and closets were considered rooms. Our local historical village filled me in on that!

Oh. my. goodness. Merissa I am SO happy for you guys! You have done an amazing job. Seriously. I can’t wait to be reaching this stage with our new house, but I’m glad for you that you have been able to get this far. You must be LOVING washing your dishes in that sink… well, most days anyway 🙂

Everything looks so fresh and pretty! I love having my kitchen totally separate from the living area. Cooking from scratch requires lots of pots and pans, cutting boards, utensils, veggie prep, etc. that I don’t necessarily want to be visible while we enjoy a special meal. Except for having a dishwasher, my kitchen is pretty much the same size and same amount of storage and counterspace.

Is it just the photos, or are the top cabinets a different stain from the lower ones? Are they the the same Classic Gray? I love the gray and imagine that it won’t show drips and spills the way lighter colors would. What is your flooring and what color is it? I love the backsplash and am seriously considering it for my kitchen.

How wonderful that you got to totally renovate and pick your own style and colors!

Yes, the cabinets are all the same color, Classic Gray stain. The floor is just peel and stick vinyl tile. We had to move into the house sooner than I wanted and the actual vinyl flooring I want in their eventually was special order so I will change it to that later. The back splash I really like and it was SO simple to put up. It’s a faux metal panel and we just glued it right up 🙂

Your home is turning out so lovely. You’ve done exceptional planning and your husbands carpentry work is great. Is your water filter under the sink?
Maybe you don’t need one so much if you have your own well? I really love how you have included a history of the farm.

We put a whole house filter in the basement. We do have well water but some of the pipes bringing it to the house are really old and the water can be yellow. We also have a Berkey for drinking water but I put that in the dining room 🙂

Very inspiring ! We just paid to have our kitchen designed and then got a quote on cost… drum roll…..48 grand.. does not include appliances and get this. No walls to be taken down or built up and we are doing the demo. So I am looking more into doing it ourselves. I figure if we can gut it then why can’t we install cabinets? Our only extra expenses from yours is we will be moving the sink, fridge and stove. Plus I am dying for a gas stove so we will convert electric to gas. I love what you did ! Great job !

Oh my goodness that’s a lot! I’m trying to think of the big expenses we had in here…I believe cabinets were around $700, appliances were $1000 for all of them, countertop and sink was $400, lighting was $100. Then of course the drywall, insulation, and all of that but you wouldn’t have that cost if you aren’t taking down any walls. Moving the fridge shouldn’t make a cost difference, the moving of the sink you will just have to pay for some plumbing (and we redid all the plumbing here, it’s not expensive at all 🙂 ), the biggest cost might be installing and moving a gas stove depending on how much line they will have to put in. I think we paid $700 but that was for our entire house (we installed gas lines to the new water heater, furnace, stove, and another line upstairs incase we put in a fireplace/furnace). I hope that helps you estimate!

Oh my, ya know I’m so looking forward to re-doing my kitchen and living areas this summer….were going to be painting our floors…Pinterest….I can’t get enough of here lately, I absolutely love what you have done here…good job! I love the bead board on the ceiling…love the gray….love the lights…give your hubby a big ol’ hug…and let him know he’s got lot’s of women loving what he has done….your a lucky girl! and I’m glad to know I’m not alone in not wanting others in the kitchen…it’s my space…should be just how I want it…lol…..Happy Easter to all of you….:)

We bought them new from Menards. They are the plain “builder’s grade” oak cabinets and then we stained them with the grey, add the custom trim (which we stained also) and then finished them with a clear coat. The shelves inside them aren’t the nicest quality since they are cheaper but I just covered them with colored contact paper and they work great!

Merissa I just love you’re “new” kitchen! It’s beautiful! And like you, I too like to be in the kitchen by myself. My “me” time is when I’m cooking and baking. I have time to think of things that need to get done during the day when I’m making breakfast and when I’m cooking dinner I have time to reflect over everything that I’ve accomplished that day. My kitchen is my sanctuary. And I love reading your blog, it’s like hearing from an old friend. Prayers coming your way for your little boy. And the house is looking wonderful!

Love your renovations. If you have a Dollar Tree near you, you can get a lot of supplies for wreath-making for your doors, very reasonably. Also, a suggestion for keeping the heat out of your kitchen window…I had patio doors that faced West and I bought a large vinyl roll-up blind and installed it outside. I rolled it down when the sun was hitting that side of the house and back up again after the sun went down so fresh air could come in the doors. I live in Washington state so our weather is pretty mild and I left the blind out all year. In your area, it might be best to take it down for the Winter and put it back up when it starts to warm up. Good luck to you!

I guess I am just old.. the new kitchen is awesome for a modern home.. but for a farm house..I liked the old kitchen better, but everyone has different tastes. I did like the jar lighting.. which was more country!

Though the “look” of the other kitchen fit the look of an older farmhouse there was no way they could use it when it was falling apart and with mouse droppings in all the cupboards. Ewwww. And even though it’s an old farmhouse, she’s living in a modern world and put in the kitchen for her modern life.

Best wishes and happy cooking in your new kitchen!! A new kitchen is something I have always dreamed of having one day. My kitchen is large and we have been trying to update and fix and decorate as our meager budget allows. I,too, love to be in my kitchen alone. I wish mine was more closed off and private. I think of my little apartment kitchen when I first married many years ago and it’s little table for 2! I spent many many cozy mornings and afternoons sipping my tea, reading my cookbooks and waiting for the babies to wake up! Enjoy your new home, make lots of happy memories and cherish them! Years fly by soooo fast.

I love what you have done in your kitchen and other rooms. Was I the only one that noticed the mason jar soap dispenser. I have lot’s of blue and clear mason jars from my Mom and Grandma. I made a set of canisters for my modestly redone kitchen and everyone loves them in blue. My colors are blue, white (counters/floor/appliances) and golden (cabinets-oak/back splash very soft yellow satin paint. Thanks for the fun tour. Sue

wow, looks amazing! I love it! The fridge being small wouldn’t bother me, especially since you have another for extras! I am thinking maybe we should have a small one here! lol. I can’t wait to see the whole thing when it is totally done, but I do love seeing the transformations too. Thanks so much for sharing!

It’s a lovely kitchen now. I also don’t like people in my kitchen.
Have a very blessed Easter and enjoy your wee holiday together. It’s beautiful autumn weather here in south eastern Australia. Hope you are getting some nice spring weather over there.
Blessings Gail

Love the redo in the kitchen it is all so very nice one ? where did you find jar lights? I really like them and the sink is awesome too just love it all Thanks for sharing . I have a small kitchen it is bigger than my other one it was a one butt kitchen all the way!! HaHa…

Beautiful!
My stove sits right next to the sink with no counter space at all. I had an old computer desk and one end of it had a drawer and two open shelves. When I was tearing it apart to trash it I discovered that it was just a side table. I used plywood to add a bottom and then added four wheels so it would roll. I placed a cutting on top and can roll it up to the stove when needed. I still need to paint it though. The whole thing is about 1.5 x 2 feet, so it is small, easy to roll around and push out of the way when not needed. We rent this very small home so renovation is not an option, but I soon tired of carrying food across the kitchen to the stove. It is a better solution for me.

It’s gorgeous! So classy and traditional. I would never have known that you went the “cheapest” (most inexpensive) route. I have never really understood the desire for so many to purchase a $500.00 faucet or $3,000.00 refrigerator anyway. I guess that mindset comes from how I was raised, “save more than you spend, always be prepared for anything.” And come on, those pendant lights?!?! PERFECT! I want some for my own house! You and your hubs are doing a FANTASTIC job!

A lurker here – but just wanted to say I’m really enjoying seeing all your renovations. Everything is turning out beautifully – I love the charm of a cozy space nicely done, and a place with history but being made functional for a family now.

Everything says country from the wainscoted ceiling to the pump style sink faucet, except and please don’t take offence that I don’t like your color choice of appliances. I like white appliances myself. I have friends that like black appliances also. I just like the old fashion look of white appliances in a country kitchen.
You’ve done a beautiful job in your kitchen.
Thanks again for posting.

It is beautiful. Truly an amazing transformation, but I’m so curious as to why you didn’t put the stove where the fridge is. It would mean you’d have counter space right next to the stove and it would seem more in scale in the middle of a counter section then a fridge does. Then the fridge could go next to the pantry and if you get a bigger one some day, perhaps it would fit better over there. It was just the first thought that jumped out at me and I wondered if maybe there was some reason you couldn’t do it.

The stove couldn’t go over on that wall without sticking out another foot into the kitchen pas the countertops 🙂 That was actually the reason we had to get a really small fridge because everything else was too big for the space. Not having countertops by the stove doesn’t bother me at all, the kitchen is so small I simply put spoons and spices on the opposite side and don’t even have to move to get things, lol!

Oh well it looks lovely. You have done an amazing job with your home. I only wondered because our stove is only 25 inches deep and so it fits fine between two sections of countertop, just sticking out about an inch past:-)

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Welcome to Little House Living! My name is Merissa and it’s nice to meet you! Here you can learn how to make the most with what you have. Whether that’s learning how to cook from scratch, checking out creative ways to save money, and learn how to live simply. I’m glad you’ve found your way here. Make sure to keep in touch by contacting me with questions and signing up for our newsletters.